Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Christmas often stretches pastors and their families in ways that rarely make it into the sermons or the church newsletters. In my earlier years, I spent every spare minute racing from one responsibility to another. If I weren’t tending to my home or children, I was decorating, cooking, attending church events, or searching for the perfect gifts. Day blurred into night with another gathering to host or another tradition to uphold. How could I choose Jesus over the pressures of the Christmas season?

Somewhere in the hurry, I stopped noticing the One we were celebrating. Looking back, I wonder what drove me. Was I worried about disappointing people, or did I fear someone might question my commitment if I slowed the pace?

I found myself caught between two kingdoms. One sparkled with expectations and activity. The other whispered of peace and presence. The people in Jesus’ world faced that same tension two thousand years ago. Perhaps you feel it, too, especially when you long to choose Jesus at Christmas but feel pulled in every direction.

Herod’s Kingdom: Why Fear Wins When We Don’t Choose Jesus at Christmas

Herod the Great sat on the throne with a title he could never quite trust. Though he wasn’t a Jew by birth, the Roman Senate crowned him “King of the Jews.” Determined to keep that title, he dazzled the ancient world with building projects meant to secure glory and loyalty. Towering fortresses. Whole cities remade. The magnificent temple bearing his name.

Beneath the marble, Herod lived terrified of being replaced. Most Jews saw him as an outsider, a perspective that fed his paranoia. Brilliant and ambitious, he was also ruthless. He executed members of the Sanhedrin who opposed him. He murdered Mariamne, the wife he loved, along with her brother, grandfather, and mother. Later, he killed three of his sons. All to protect his throne.

So when the Magi arrived asking, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?”(Matthew 2:2 NIV), Herod’s fear erupted. If a child had been born with the rightful claim to his title, Herod’s world would collapse. His anxiety became the city’s because everyone knew blood spilled when Herod felt threatened.

In a final act of cruelty, he ordered the slaughter of all Bethlehem’s boys under the age of two. Like Pharaoh before him, he spilled innocent blood to keep his power. Jeremiah’s prophecy of Rachel weeping for her children came to life once again.

Herod’s story warns us what happens when fear, prestige, and self-preservation rule the heart. The more he tried to secure his kingdom, the more his power slipped through his fingers.

Jesus’ Kingdom: The Peace We Find When We Choose Jesus Over the Pressures of the Season

The child Herod tried to kill arrived with none of the visible trappings of royalty. No guards. No palaces. No armies. Only a manger in a borrowed space and a young couple doing their best with what they had. Yet heaven knew his identity. Angels announced him. Shepherds hurried to find him. Foreign visitors crossed deserts to worship him.

Jesus entered the world quietly but carried a kingdom not built by force. Micah had promised a ruler would come from Bethlehem, one who would shepherd Israel with strength (Micah 5:2-4). This Shepherd-King would govern through faithfulness, not fear. He would comfort rather than crush. His kingdom would grow through love, mercy, and the sacrifice of his blood, not that of others.

Where Herod grasped for control, Jesus laid down his life. Where Herod guarded his throne, Jesus opened his arms. The contrast could not be more striking.

Two Kings and Two Kingdoms: Choose Jesus at Christmas

Herod built monuments of stone. Jesus builds transformed hearts. Herod demanded allegiance. Jesus invites surrender. Herod promised a magnificent temple. Jesus offers forgiveness. Herod killed to protect his crown. Jesus died to give us life.

Every Christmas, the story of these two kings reaches across the centuries and asks a searching question, “Which kingdom are we living for?” Herod’s throne still whispers to us, urging us to protect our image, keep up appearances, and stay in control. In Herod’s kingdom, our worth depends on what we produce or how well we perform. But the manger calls us to something far greater, inviting us to choose Jesus at Christmas—to surrender rather than strive, to kneel rather than climb.

Who Rules Our Hearts This Christmas?

Two kings still ask for our loyalty. One offers the illusion of power. The other offers everlasting peace. We cannot live in both kingdoms. We cannot serve both kings. Somewhere in the rush and noise of December, we must decide how we’ll choose Jesus over the pressures of the Christmas season.

Herod’s story becomes a mirror. His fear of losing control echoes in us whenever we cling to our own plans and expectations. We may not build palaces, but we often construct self-serving reputations, traditions, and routines we feel compelled to protect. Sometimes we want God close enough to bless us but not close enough to change us.

When Jesus is our King, the season takes on a different shape. We worship rather than worry, serve rather than strive, and love rather than try to impress. Christmas becomes less about keeping up and more about slowing down, less about proving something and more about receiving someone. Less about feasting and more about following Jesus.

May we choose the manger over the throne. May we choose Jesus’ eternal kingdom over our temporary empires. And like the Magi, let’s lay our treasures and ourselves before the true King.

How to Choose Jesus Over the Pressures of the Christmas Season by @NancyLucenay on Beyond the Front Door Share on X

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I’d love to hear from you! What helps you choose Jesus at Christmas and lay down the pressures of the season? Share your thoughts and suggestions in the Comments box at the bottom of the page. (If you don’t see the Comments box, click Read More and scroll down.)